Chapter 53 Night Raid: Perhaps there is no one else in the world who knows this.
Although Shen Yujiao was prepared after listening to Dr. Xu's instructions, her heart still jumped when Jiang Chen started to have a fever in the middle of the night. She quickly asked Mu Jin to call someone.
Fortunately, Dr. Xu was prepared and quickly arrived with his medicine box. He checked Jiang Chen's condition and then wrote down a prescription: "Go and decoct the medicine now, and bring it over as soon as it's ready."
Mu Jin took the medicine and turned to leave, while Shen Yujiao stayed behind to help Doctor Xu change Jiang Chen's dressing. The young apprentice helped wipe his body. The group spent more than half an hour preparing the medicine, and Jiang Chen's fever gradually subsided. By then, it was already broad daylight.
"Alright, now that his fever has subsided, there's no need to worry anymore. I just need to come and change his dressings every day."
Shen Yujiao bowed deeply to Doctor Xu, her heart filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Doctor Xu."
She had Mu Jin escort the two back to their residence, and then sent someone to inform the Duke of Cheng's mansion. Only after all this was done did she return to her study, lie down on the chaise longue next to the bed, and occasionally reach out to check if Jiang Chen's temperature was abnormal.
When Mu Jin came over and saw that she was still guarding there, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She put the food box on the table and went over to persuade her, "Your Highness, please have some food. You haven't slept all night, you can't go without eating."
"Alright."
Despite saying that, Shen Yujiao really couldn't eat anything right now. She only ate a few bites to reassure Mu Jin. Just as she was about to get up, she saw Mu Jin's red eyes. She smiled helplessly and finished the rest of the chicken porridge.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Please replace the chaise longue with a daybed so I can get some things done."
Shen Yujiao patted her shoulder, then went to the desk to get the account book and looked through it. She really couldn't sleep at this moment. She could only feel at ease by staying by Jiang Chen's side. Mu Jin knew the temperament of their prince, so she didn't try to persuade him any further. After having someone bring over the daybed, she followed behind the Crown Princess and stayed by her side without leaving her side.
Jiang Chen slept for a full day and night. When he woke up, it was dark again. He vaguely remembered returning to the study in the villa and seeing Jiao Jiao, but he couldn't remember anything else.
"You're awake?" Shen Yujiao brought over the bowl of medicine. Seeing that he was awake, she changed the water to a cup of warm water. "Drink some water first, it will make you feel better."
After being helped to drink a cup of warm water and then take some herbal medicine, Jiang Chen finally woke up completely: "How long have I been asleep?"
"A whole day." Shen Yujiao took the medicine bowl, her voice choked with emotion. She quickly lowered her head, tears sliding down her eyelids and dripping into the medicine bowl.
Jiang Chen couldn't quite remember the last time he'd seen her cry. Seeing the tears she was trying to hide, he felt a pang of sadness. "Jiaojiao... I'm sorry..."
"Say sorry." Shen Yujiao quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, then got up to call Doctor Xu, but before she could take a step, her right hand was grabbed by Jiang Chen. Because of the aggravation of her wound, Jiang Chen gasped in pain.
Upon hearing the sound, Shen Yujiao immediately put down the bowl of medicine she was holding, turned around, and returned to his side. Her eyes were red, and her voice was urgent: "What are you doing! Couldn't you have called me if there was something wrong? Your injury is so serious..."
Jiang Chen could tell she was really anxious, so he quickly begged her for forgiveness: "Jiaojiao, I just... I have something to tell you."
"Nothing is more urgent than your injuries. You stay here and lie down!" Shen Yujiao glared, adopting a fierce posture, but her eyes were red, so she didn't intimidate anyone at all.
Jiang Chen nodded in agreement, not daring to say anything more. He obediently lay on the bed waiting for Doctor Xu to come and change his dressing. During the dressing change, Jiang Chen clenched his teeth and remained silent until the dressing was re-bandaged, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"This young master has an extremely strong ability to recover, and his wounds are already showing signs of healing. However, we must not be careless these days. I have already instructed Miss Mujin on the dietary restrictions, and she should mainly rest in bed."
Shen Yujiao listened attentively. After seeing Doctor Xu off, she gave Mu Jin many instructions. Jiang Chen lay there quietly, gazing at her busy ways, feeling as if he were basking in the sunshine, with waves of warmth flowing straight to his heart.
After seeing everyone off, Shen Yujiao sat back down next to Jiang Chen: "Alright, now, what's up?"
"You must know about what happened at the He family back then. During this private trip to Jiangnan, I promised He Zhiju that I would visit their ancestral home, in order to... find out the follow-up to what happened back then."
Shen Yujiao was a little confused and gestured for him to continue: "He Zhiju joined the army at a young age. In his early years, he was not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict in the northern frontier. Although he is in the capital now, he is not allowed to leave the capital without special circumstances. No matter where he is, he will be closely watched by the emperor's people. Therefore, he can only entrust me with the task of investigating Jiangnan in the future."
"Over the years, he has been investigating the He family's past. Several years ago, when he was fighting against the Northern Di, he accidentally learned some information. Upon further investigation, he discovered that there was more to the story than met the eye in the case of the He family being wronged. His most trusted personal guards were former members of the He family. After learning about this, they volunteered to go into the enemy country to investigate, but later they disappeared without a trace."
"Until this year, he suddenly learned that his personal guard had died. Along with the news, there was also a letter that the guard had failed to deliver to him, which only said: All the evidence has been sent back to its original location."
So Jiang Chen went to the He residence that day to search for evidence. After Shen Yujiao understood, she asked in return, "If that's the case, how could you get injured like this when you went to investigate a house that had been abandoned for many years?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen's gaze focused on one spot, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "That's the interesting part: an old house that has been uninhabited for years has actually been kept under surveillance!"
Because the He family was exonerated back then, the imperial court did not take back the house. Logically speaking, since no one lived there or took care of it, the house should have been in a terrible state of disrepair. However, on that day, he was just secretly searching the He residence with his guards when someone ambushed and shot them from a distance.
Shen Yujiao sorted out her thoughts and gripped the brocade quilt tightly in her hands: "So, someone was trying to prevent the evidence from being found in the He residence!"
“Yes,” Jiang Chen frowned, “I guess they, like us, couldn’t find where the evidence was hidden. Last time, when we led a search of the Zhu residence, we couldn’t find the account books either. I guess these aristocratic families’ residences all have secret rooms and passages. If the He family’s personal guards risked their lives to hide the evidence back, they would place it in a place that is difficult for others to find.”
"Didn't General He tell you where the secret room is?" Shen Yujiao asked.
“No,” Jiang Chen shook his head. “At the time, time was tight, and he only had time to tell me these things. Now, the He family is long dead, and no one knows where this secret room is.”
“Jiang Chen,” a bold idea flashed through Shen Yujiao’s mind: “Maybe I know.”
Jiang Chen was stunned by what she heard. She heard Shen Yujiao say softly, "Or rather, Miss Shen knows."
Several days later, Jiang Chen, who had been bedridden for nearly half a month, was finally able to get out of bed and walk around. His wound had been almost completely healed a few days earlier, but due to Shen Yujiao's insistence, he had not been able to get out of bed until today when he was finally able to remove the gauze.
"It's all healed now. You just won't believe me. It's just a minor scratch, why would I have to lie in bed for so long?"
Watching Jiang Chen walk around the hall in a brand-new brocade robe, Shen Yujiao rolled her eyes at him speechlessly: "I wonder who it is. A few days ago, he was in so much pain when changing his dressing, and now he has only a minor superficial injury."
"Alright, alright, stop trying to sabotage me. Are you done yet? Let's head out early today." Jiang Chen urged, looking at Shen Yujiao who was still fixing her hair.
Ever since Shen Yujiao told him about how she opened the strange lock in the study of the Shen residence using her body's memory, Jiang Chen had been thinking about taking Shen Yujiao to visit the He residence again. Now that his injuries had almost healed, he couldn't wait any longer.
"Alright, alright, can't you stop rushing me?" Shen Yujiao strode out from the inner room. Both of them were dressed smartly today, and to make it easier to move around, they didn't wear any extra accessories. So they wouldn't stand out in the crowd.
Although the He family mansion was abandoned, it was located in a relatively bustling market town. Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao took advantage of the early morning to sit down in a nearby restaurant. The two ordered a table full of dishes and ate at a leisurely pace until the sun set and the night market opened, when the entire market was at its most lively. Only then did the two pay their bill and leave, joining the huge crowds of the night.
As the saying goes, true hermits live in the city. Having learned his lesson this time, Jiang Chen led Shen Yujiao around the He residence several times. As dusk fell, the entire market was filled with the atmosphere of everyday life, and no one cared which way the two of them would turn at the next intersection.
Jiang Chen seized the opportunity, looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, and then pulled Shen Yujiao inside. He quickly pushed open the door, pulled Shen Yujiao to his chest, spun her around, and closed the door with the two of them leaning against it. The movements were so smooth that Shen Yujiao only realized that she was already in the He residence before she even had a chance to react.
“Sure!” Shen Yujiao looked up at Jiang Chen, her eyes sparkling with surprise.
Being looked at like that by the girl he liked greatly satisfied Jiang Chen's vanity, and he said rather arrogantly, "Of course, I thoroughly explored the He family's residence when I came here last time."
Shen Yujiao raised her hand and patted his shoulder. Jiang Chen released her and the two stood in the corner of the He Mansion's side gate. Shen Yujiao observed the dilapidated courtyard by the moonlight, and a strange sense of familiarity welled up in her heart.
She subconsciously tightened her grip on Jiang Chen's hand; the last time she felt this way was at the Duke of Cheng's mansion.
"You remembered?" Jiang Chen asked immediately.
Shen Yujiao shook her head: "I can't remember, but I can sense that Miss Shen must have been here before."
As she spoke, she narrowed her eyes slightly and led Jiang Chen inside. As she walked, she touched the ancient walls with her hands, and the sense of familiarity in her heart grew stronger.
Jiang Chen followed behind her, constantly on guard of their surroundings. Last time he was ambushed, it must have been someone hiding in the shadows or on the roof. Although they had bodyguards with them today, they still couldn't let their guard down.
Shen Yujiao kept her eyes narrowed the whole time. After walking through most of the courtyard, she suddenly stopped at an abandoned door, stroked the mottled texture on the door, and tugged at Jiang Chen's hand.
"I guess it should be here."
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